Operation reconnect
by TippierCoffee
Summary: The thought of them having 'lived' in a treehouse seemed pretty silly; especially considering they couldn't even remember having known each other. "Let's build a new treehouse then... Just for the joke of it". Might be rated T later on. UPDATES WHEN I HAVE TIME!
1. The picture

Written by: TippierCoffee

Discalimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door, Mr. Tom Warburton does

A SURPRISE FOR MY READERS . ENJOY :)

* * *

The picture

_Monday_

"Rainbow monkeys, rainbow monkeys oh so very round and super chunky. Bringing lover where ever the..." slam.

Kuki turned off her purple rainbow monkey alarm clock and lazily opened her autumn colored eyes.

She lifted herself up with her elbows to get a better look at the time; seven am.

"Eugh" she groaned slumping her head back onto the pillow

She really didn't feel like waking up or going to school, or anything at all for that matter today.

She turned to her side, facing her window trying to recall that odd dream she had had. It was all so fuzzy and unclear, as though somewhere in her mind she knew essence of the dream, maybe even the entire dream step by step; and yet she couldn't remember any of the dream at all.

It made her frustrated, making her want to go back to sleep and see if she could catch a glimpse of the dream again, wishing she could force her mind to just remember something. Anything!

"Kuki! Time to get up!" her mother yelled coming up the stairs.

She knocked the door to Mushi's room violently

"You too Mushi!"

Kuki could hear rather annoyed, and very grumpy groan coming from Mushi's room, so loud an piecing and impossible to ignore, so instead Kuki decided that maybe it was better to jut get up and get started with the day.

She tossed her blanket lazily off of her body and was greeted by the chill of not having it upon her, even though it was summer it felt a little chilly not having the blanket on her.

Kuki just liked to have it warm and cozy; and her blanket could always provide that for her no matter what season it was.

She went to her closet picking out one of her favorite green T-shirts and a pair of black slim fits.

She knew she was going to be having it warm when wearing this, but she couldn't help it when these were her favorite jeans.

If she just could remember that dreaded dream.

She sat on a chair in front of a mirror and looked herself eye to eye the mirror as she brushed her hair.

Maybe she should consider cutting her long hair?

It was so warm in the summer, so annoying to wash and brush. It was just too long.

She found an elastic band for her hair and collected it in her neck to put it in a ponytail.

She closed her eyes and concentrated again, trying to see the dream for her.

How come it had seemed so clear just when she came to her wake but now it was all gone?

Lost in a thick fog she would never be able to see anything through.

* * *

"I will see you girls after school" Genki cheered, waving at her girls from the door.

Her company had ordered her to take a two week vacation to devote some time to her family instead of always over working herself so much.

Genki was a very strict and career driven woman, who put a lot of devotion to the company she was working for, she tried her best to bring her daughters up by the same traditions she had been brought up with in Japan by her parents.

She wanted her daughters to succeed and be good and get a good job and bring the family honor.

Well honor they probably had enough f, she just wished the best for her daughters by wishing them to have good futures, with good jobs and good husbands who had been brought up by good families and were able to get good positions.

It wasn't' a bad thing, but sometimes Kuki could feel the pressure weighing her down a bit. She had to already start considering her future and considering what to make of herself and become good at mastering that.

And it was that simple thing, of having to plan so far ahead in her future that made her scared, and made her want to just be able to escape from all the tensity sometimes and just be her own person.

Maybe find out where her childhood memories had gone and if she could somehow recall them if she had time to just sit down and not care to think about those things that were so uncertain and so ahead in the future.

"See you later mom" Kuki smiled at her mother

No, she didn't hate her mother and she never would, but sometimes she really wished her mother would enlighten a little and try not to pressure the girls so much.

"Ya ya, see you mom" Mushi grumbled, frowning a little.

Mushi had changed a lot and her behavior was far from the best; maybe her way of rebelling?

Kuki wasn't really sure what it was but something about her sister was just so saddening to witness.

Her sudden change form innocent child to rebellious eleven-year-old girl with an attitude problem sneaking up on her.

* * *

"And the prize for spacing out, once again, goes to Kuki!"

The rest of the small group laughed.

Sometimes Kuki didn't fancy her friends too much, not that they were bad people, not at all; not even close. It was just that they could get on her nerves and there were so many things they would never understand about her, things she didn't even fully understand herself.

She looked at the girl who had blurted it out, she had orange hair with a blonde hue to it and ocean green eyes with a blue hue to them; her name was Amber Stanton.

Amber, Sally and Freya were practically inseparable, Kuki had been friends with them since she started in junior high, but a lot of times she felt so strangely left out, no matter how involved she was in everything the four girls did together.

"I'm sorry okay" Kuki accidentally snapped "I just... I had such a strange dream and it's I can't remember any of it! It's annoying!"

"Okay okay, chill" Amber said raising her hands defensively, yet teasingly.

The other two girls laughed a little.

Kuki looked first at Sally, who was half American half African, then at Freya who was all Scandinavian.

Freya said something about her having moved to America when her father got transferred two years ago, but because English was a world language she had had it since the age of ten; still she had a but of an accent when talking sometimes.

She had that very typical characteristic Scandinavian look, blond hair, blue eyes, Caucasian.

Sally was not really anyone you could place under any 'typical' stereotype what so ever.

Her skin had a light 'chocolate' color and her hair was black, thick and smooth. It almost looked like silk when the sun beamed just right on it. Her eyes were chocolate colored as well, and sometimes when the light hit them they could look almost orange.

Kuki rolled her eyes a little at them, they would never understand her. No one would.

Not her parents, not her sister, not her friends, not herself; no one.

Why did she always end up feeling so empty? So hollow? So alone?

She knew her family loved her, and she knew her friends loved her, and she was pretty sure she liked who she was, or who she thought she was.

She needed to know where this feeling of emptiness was coming from, where it had it's roots, if it had anything to do with her memory loss from her childhood.

If she could just remember that dream!

She didn't know why, but she felt so certain that it held some kind of key to understand her feeling of missing something, or maybe someone in her life.

* * *

_Saturday_

_Fireworks exploded somewhere in the distance, all he colors of the rainbow enlightening the sky, blasting off, but something was different about them. But for some reason she didn't make her feel excited._

_They seemed dangerous and cold and it seemed as though they were aiming, downwards?_

_Her dream self, who was just ten-years-old, squeezed her eyes together to get a better look at the fireworks._

_They were aiming downwards, directly towards her!_

_She was numb, nailed to her spot on the soft cold grass._

_What was she even doing out so late?_

_The fireworks came closer and closer to her, burning red an dangerous, she could almost fell the heat of them when someone took a firm grip around her wrist, and dragged her away._

_She could feel on the size of the had, that whoever pulled at her was probably no older than she; and suddenly she fell to the ground and the fireworks hit the empty spot where she had been standing just five seconds ago._

_But as she fell she never hit the grass. She just kept on falling and a falling and falling._

* * *

Thump!

Kuki landed hard on the floor of her bedroom and got woken by the sudden impact of solid ground beneath her.

She rubbed the side of her left arm which had hit the ground first and sat up looking around her. Her hair was a cascade of mess and she felt sweaty and tried to catch her breath.

Again she had had that strange dream, it still seemed so foggy but at least this time she could make out some of it.

Fireworks, and someone pulling at her because something about it had gone horribly wrong.

She rubbed her head and looked at her rainbow monkey alarm clock, it was only eight am, and it was even Saturday.

She groaned in annoyance and dragged herself back to bed; she wanted to have some more hours of sweet sleep.

As she lay down and pulled the cover over her she wished inwardly she wouldn't fall through the ground and down to her bedroom floor if she ever had that dream again.

* * *

_She knew she had to hurry, she had to hide it, she had to make sure that she could keep at least some of the things that really meant something to her._

_She knew it was against the rules, and she really hated violating the rules, but she hated the thought of losing that prized photo even more than that._

_She knelled before her closet and crawled into it; removed a few of he most prized rainbow monkeys and opened a secret room in the closet._

_She got out a little box and took one last look at the photo._

_Kuki could feel her dream self smile with a few regrettable tears in her eyes as she looked at the picture; but her tears fogged up all the faces on the picture so much she couldn't make out any face but her own._

_Her own face was smiling happily to her dream self, holding her arm around some orange goo.  
Even though her dream self was obviously very happy to see this picture, her subconscious mind felt so confused what about this picture, and the orange goo, was so special._

_She put the picture in the box, hid it in the secret room of her closet, closed it and put her rainbow monkey in front of it and then; she suddenly was on the grass field again seeing fireworks coming in her direction, and an orange goo figure took hold of her wrist dragging her away, and he fell on the ground, and the fireworks exploded, and the grass field set on fire, and suddenly she was trapped in the middle of a circle of fire._

_It was closing in on her, heating her, burning her and she screamed, but suddenly no one was there but her alone._

_So she kept on screaming and screaming and screaming._

_So warm_

_Help! Help!_

* * *

"HELP!" she woke with a start, startled by her own screaming

Her mother cam in the room, a mixture of tiredness and panic painting her face

"What's happening Kuki dear?" she had been rushing out of bed and had a white silk robe pulled over her night dress.

Kuki's father, Kani, was right at her heels wearing a brown bathing robe with blue stripes. He looked ready to tear the head of whoever had made his oldest daughter scream in such terror.

"Nothing" Kuki said, catching her breath "I just had a bad dream; I got caught in fire"

Her father mumbled something about summer heat headed back to bed, but her mother looked at her a little worried.

"Do you want me to get you a glass of water? I need to get started with the day soon anyways"  
"Thanks mom" Kuki smiled "That would be really nice"

Genki went down the stairs and looked at her alarm clock; to think she had been sleeping for tow more hours. It felt as though she had only had five more minutes of sleep.

Her mother came up with her glass of water and Kuki started getting up; she looked around in the room and it was as though it was only now she noticed the amount of plushies she had laying around in here.

She knew she had a lot of space in her closet and she knew she already had a few rainbow monkeys in there, she ought to put them all in boxes to make sure they didn't become too dusty.

Kuki went downstairs in her nightwear and saw her mother making coffee for herself as well as Kani and readying some breakfast for Kuki and Mushi.

"Mom do we have any moving boxes I can get, I need to put some of my plushies in them so I can put them in my closet. They are every where"

"Sure Kuki, right inside the closet under the stairs we have a bunch of moving boxes, take as many as you want"

Kuki took out about four boxes and started heading upstairs again

"Don't you want some breakfast first?" Genki asked

"Nah, I'll come down later mom"

And with that she went upstairs to pack.

* * *

She had already packed down the rainbow monkeys in her closet, and most of her plushies scattered around her room. She only needed to pack down her last rainbow monkeys, the plushies she had most of, her ultimate weakness.

She looked from one to the other, to the third, to the twentieth, or maybe even thirtieth.

"Ooh" her eyes felt watery "Don't look at me like that "She pleaded one of her red rainbow monkeys.

It seemed to look at her accusingly, with the fact that she might toss it away for good.

"I won't be that far away, I'll be right here it's just, I'm not a kid anymore and I need to make my room more... Presentable.

Not that you aren't pretty! You are very pretty and well kept and... Aaw, will you please stop giving me those eyes?"

The monkey stared emptily at her

"I know! I love you too and I'll miss you so much" she hugged the monkey tightly into her chest and put it in the box, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

Kuki hen let out a sigh and looked at her other monkeys; this was going to take a while.

* * *

She had picked out three rainbow monkeys to stay in her room

Her _My first rainbow monkey_, her _Detective rainbow monkey_ and her _Fun with fruits rainbow monkey_ which was orange and even smelled like oranges when you sniffed it.

These where the three she had kept out in the open, the others she had packed down, and now all that was left to do was to get those boxes in her closet.

She remembered her second dream and started wondering whether or not there actually was some sort of secret room in her closet. The thought of it seemed somewhat exciting though.

Kuki Sanban, the girl with a secret room in her closet, a room that held the secrets of... Well of what she didn't really know.

She crawled over to her closet, not bothering to take her boxes filed with plushies with her, she opened the closet and crawled inside of it, tossing some of her shoes in the opposite direction.

Surely enough, there was a small lid in here, a secret room!

Kuki felt it as though she could feel her heart pounding in her throat, and she had to swallow to get it back in place. She softly bit her lower lip and took the edge of the lid with shaking fingers; her nerves and curiosity was on edge.

She slowly and breathlessly opened the room, wondering what kind of secrets it would behold and why she couldn't remember having it there at all.

The lid was removed and time seemed to stand still, as Kuki saw a small box in he room. She look it out slowly and carefully, her throat dry from excitement, her hands shaking and her curiosity and senses on max.

She put the small box on her lap, took of the lid and looked inside.

The content made her heart sink a little, but still it creep her out to now that she had been dreaming about having a picture in her closet, and here she was, in real life, looking in her closet and finding the exactly same box with the exactly same photo in it.

Except this photo wasn't blurry and filled with goo figures around her, this picture was clear with other kids around her. All of them, including herself, were about ten years old, and she had absolutely no idea who the other kids in this photo were.

* * *

**End of chapter one of "Operation reconnect"**

**Hope you enjoyed this little surprise for you ;D**

**Criticism and/or advices on improvements is/are highly appreciated :3**

**For a chance to read some of my own original work visit my website: spasmostar[dot]weebly[dot]com**

**~*~TippierCoffee~*~**


	2. Finding names

_**Author: TippierCoffee  
Discalimer: I do not own "Codename: Kids Next Door", all credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Tom Warburton.**_

_**KAPOW! SURPRISE ATTACK! ;D  
Yes, I am working on "Alone" and have half a chapter done, AND I replaced the "Quick note" with a chapter. Go check it out :P  
I am also working on the "Ever after" comic, as well as the fic "Decisions"**_

* * *

Finding names

Kuki carefully set the box back into the hidden room in her closet, and with shaking hands and careful steps brought the picture with her to her bed, handling with utmost care as if her mere touch would shatter it to thousands and thousands of pieces.

She gently placed it underneath her pillow while taking time to put her plush boxes into her closet. She wasn't really sure what had possessed her to think it was necessary to put the picture underneath her pillow, surely nothing would happen if anyone saw it. And still she could feel something, so deep in her brain trying to gnaw it's way to her conscious mind. It gave her her doubts about the picture. Like it was a bad thing that she even had it there, and if it was ever discovered something horrible would happen to her.

She closed the closet door behind her and with quick and silent steps she hastily walked to her bed, tossed herself onto it, laying flat on her stomach, and reached down for the prized photo.

She ran her finger across the cool dusted glass, dragging a trace of clean with her, then she wiped it all clean and looked at the children from left to right.

First kid was a white bald boy, his eyes covered by a pair of black sunglasses, his mouth in a straight line, but still there was the slightest hint of a smile there on the corner of his lips. He had a red turtleneck, gray knee-length khaki shorts, and brown hiker boots. He stood with crossed arms next to a black girl, with her long black hair in a braid, and a red cap upon her head. She wore and oversized blue T-shirt with white stripes, and to Kuki it looked more like a mini dress than anything. Her feet was bare underneath white sandals, and her light brown eyes glistened at her, accompanying the girl's subtle smile. She stood with her arms and legs crossed and leaned into a chubby kid, with an aviator hat covering almost all of his brown hair, and yellow goggles only revealed the shape of his eyes. He wore a light blue button up T-shirt, brown pants and black converse sneakers. He too had his arms over cross, but his face was light up in a childish grin that seemed to tell what kind of personality he had.  
Kuki couldn't help but to giggle that she thought of him as somewhat of a prankster. She looked to the next person. He wasn't that tall, his blond bowl-hair cut almost covered his eyes completely, but Kuki could just make out that they were green. He wore an orange hood sweater, blue baggy denim jeans and white sneakers. He looked like he was trying to smile, but had been distracted, or even embarrassed, about the ten-year-old Kuki who stood partly next to him, partly behind him, embracing him with a huge smile plastered upon her face. Her green oversized blouse completely covered her hands and stopped right beneath her buttocks area, and she wore black slim fit leans, green sock covering the bottom of the leg of them, and black converse sneakers.

Kuki looked at her picture self saddened that she couldn't remember ever having felt as happy as the person in this photo looked. She stroke the four unfamiliar faces feeling tears prickle in her eyes.

She angrily wiped them away filled with confusion and hurt. Hurt she didn't know where cam from. She would never be able to tell anyone – not even herself – why she felt this so strongly, but she needed to know who the four other kids in this picture were. What her connection to them were. Why she couldn't remember them, when they all seemed pretty happy together.

She rolled on her back and pushed her right hand – clutching tightly onto the picture – to the side f her bed, and covered her eyes with the back of her left hand.

She wondered if the orange goo who had saved her in her previous dream had been the blond boy on the picture. She wondered who he was. Where he lived. If he remembered her.

-Remember?- she though to herself -Ha! I don't even remember him!-

An unbearable pain clutched its claws tightly around her heart, making her sob uncontrollably and heave lightly for her breath, as she felt warm tears escape her eyes and travel her cheeks.

Why couldn't she remember them?

* * *

_The air was cold around her, she was freezing in the dark emptiness of the nights. Stars peeked in the sky, almost illuminating the grass, but the moon was well hidden behind darkened clouds._

_Autumn was closing in on them, chilly yet fresh. Her breath created little skies in front of her, as she followed troop with the four others, holding herself in a tight embrace._

_None of them wore jackets, and for a moment she wondered why, as she felt the dough of the droplet-covered grass slowly soak into her shoes and making her socks wet._

_She went closer to the blond boy in front of her, pressing herself discretely against him. She knew he would notice and protest in due time, but this time he said nothing. He let her walk this close to him, using him for heat._

_Then she heard the first blast, and the bald kid in front yelled something at the top of his lungs. She couldn't hear his voice, yet she knew he was yelling for them to run back to safety, and she felt the blond clutch onto her hand. But she slipped in the grass and fell to the ground, then she got up and was frozen to the spot._

_Fireworks made their way directly towards her, and suddenly she couldn't get her feet to move no matter how hard she willed them._

_She sensed the blond scream her name as he jumped in and swept her to the side a matter of seconds before the firework rocket blast to the ground. Then he helped her to her feet, clutched onto her hand, and this time he made sure to hold onto her so she wouldn't fall again._

* * *

Kuki woke groggily realizing it was already time for lunch. She sat up disorientated and looked at the picture again. The blond boy had saved her life third time in a row in her dreams. A person like that must be someone she or her parents would remember.

"Hey mom?"

"Mmm? What is it Kuki?"

Kuki swallowed another bite of her lunch before looking at her mom again.

"Was I involved in an accident involving fireworks when I was a kid? I mean. No one was hurt, but the fireworks mis aimed and went downwards?"

Genki pondered a little upon her daughters question, searching her brain for anything at all.

"Not that I recall no. Why are you asking?"

"Oh. No reason really" Kuki said, feeling a pinch of disappointment ache in her entire body. Almost as if someone had placed pieces of shattered glass randomly on her entire body, making her feel fragile, weak, and for some reason foolish.

"Did I use to have a blond haired guy friend when I was younger?" she suddenly heard herself blurt out.

This time she sense, more than saw, that it triggered something in her mother, and she started really wondering and emptying out her memory.

"I do think there was one" she then said thoughtfully. Kuki felt how her heart skipped a beat and the excitement within her grew. "Hmm... That's odd. I don't remember his name. I could have sworn you used to play a lot. Oh I remember you played tree house with him and some other kids" her mother giggled.

"Really?" Kuki felt both excited and sad. Why couldn't she remember playing tree house? "What did we usually play? Do you know that?"

"Oh" her mother giggled, amused by the mere memory of it. The memory Kuki wished she had. "Just some game about saving the world. You really fancied that. We even let you sleep over in the tree house sometimes"  
"We?" Kuki's anticipation grew

"Well, all the kids parents" her mother stopped for a moment "Strange. I don't even remember their names. But I do remember you had this cute little habit of writing on the backside of your photos"

Time stopped for a moment as Kuki realized this fact. Her mother didn't know it, but Kuki still wrote things on the backside of her photos, and not just anything; names. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that before, it was so simple and obvious that she had simply left out the possibility that she might have been doing this since forever.

She got up from the chair, almost knocking it to the floor, then she stormed to her room yelling Arigatou* to her mother, as she stormed up the stairs and into her room.

She tore out the picture from underneath her pillow, and removed the frame. If she accidentally broke it, it could be replaced.

She read the text with her heat beating hard against her rib cage as hope filled her. Her unsteady – yet strangely neat, handwriting danced on the backside of the photography.

'Left to right: Nigel Uno. Abigail "Abby" Lincoln. Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr. Wallabee "Wally" Beetles. Me :)'

She couldn't help but giggle at the little smiley she had set at the ending, and she had to wipe away new arriving tears. She knew their names now, and maybe she could go look for them.

First step her school, and if nothing checked out, the yellow pages would have to do.

* * *

_*** Arigatou: Thank you (Japanese)**_

_**Tadaaa~ **_

_**Hope you liked it ^^ **_

_**Remember to keep an eye on "Again" and "Decisions" ;D**_

_**Criticism and/or advices on improvements are highly appreciated :3**_

_**~*~TippierCoffee~*~**_

_**PS: If anyone know where I might be able to take a "course" in punctuation, feel free to tell me yeah? :) Don't know why, but for some reason we never really had about punctuation (or proverbs) in English class =.=**_


	3. Friends?

_**Author: TippierCoffee  
Disclaimer: I do not own the show "Codename: Kids Next Door", all credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Tom Warburton.**_

_**Will try to upload one chapter for "Alone" today, and see if I can finish first chapter of "Decisions" as well. But I do not promise anything, seeing as I'm reading for exam at the moment (taking a little break to breathe here)  
Enjoy :)**_

* * *

Friends?

_Monday_

Kuki had memorized the names from her childhood photography, before stuffing it inside her bag pack this morning. If she just approached these people they would think she was crazy, she would need the proof she had found, to convince them she wasn't just a random stalker.

She had felt blessed when she went through the student book this morning and found out that three of the four kids in the photography attended the same school as her, but when she had looked for the fourth, the yellow pages had revealed that he lived somewhere in Bristol, United Kingdom.

For a moment Kuki thought it was weird though, all but one of the four kids from her childhood were in the same school, and just like her they seemed to not remember. Otherwise they would surely have approached her by now, right?

She shook her head and tried remembering the things that mattered remembering.

Abigail was in class B, Hoagie and Wally were in class C and she was in class A.

For a moment she wondered how well Hoagie and Wally knew each other since they had ended up in class together. If they got a long and had discovered knowing each other as kids. If they by chance had found pictures of Abby and herself, but had been too doubtful to approach them.

Class B... She wondered what kind of people went there, if they were nice or if they would bully her for coming in? She took a deep breath and pushed the feeling of doubt away, then she entered the classroom.

Only few people had stayed in here during lunch break, most of them still bought food from the lousy cafeteria. Kuki had only tried it the first week before deciding it wasn't worth the money, and from the looks of it it seemed like Abby had come to that same conclusion.

She was seated at a desk fit for two people, some had pushed another table over to where she was, and besides her there was one other girl, and three guys.

"Abigail Lincoln?" Kuki asked uncertainly and quietly from the door.

The dark teen looked up from her chair. She had cut her hair shoulder length and had dropped the red cap. It just shimmered in the braid she had made out of it. Her eyes seemed sharp and almost orange in the shimmering lights from the window. Black tanktop and worn out dark blue denim jeans, as well as white sneakers. She loooked like the kind of girl who could easily have a tiger, or a dragon, tattooed across her shoulder, and shoulder blade, without looking foolish with it.

Her ears were double pierced and in both holes she wore small fake golden rings, with a ball connecting it. Kuki had seen people with lip piercings have this kind of ring attached in the hole. It looked really good on the female in front of her.

Kuki took a step closer feeling strangely immature looking at this beauty.

"You're Abigail Lincoln right?" she asked carefully.

The girl exchanged confused looks with her friends before answering in a rasp, yet feminine voice.

"Yeah I'm Abigail. What of it?"

Kuki felt herself getting a little intimidated by the girl's attitude. Not that she was harsh, she just seemed like an incredibly strong and self assured person, who was perfectly relaxed being just herself.

"My name is Kuki Sanban. Could I... Maybe talk to you for two minutes?"

Abigail raised an eyebrow at the Oriental girl, scanning her quickly. Long sleek black hair, Autumn eyes which seemed to shine golden in the reflection of the sun, purple three quarter sleeved blouse and black knee length skirt as well as black converse sneakers. She seemed somewhat childish.

"I promise it'll be worth your time, but if you feel like it was a waste just forget it afterwards. I just really wanna talk to you. Please?" Kuki hardly noticed she send the girl gleaming puppy-dog eyes, but she knew she didn't have to.

"Sure. I guess Abby can hear you out" she said, casually getting up from her chair, giving her friends a salute kind of wave with two fingers, and then shoved her hands into her pockets as she walked out into the hall with the Oriental girl.

"What 'you want with Abby girl?" the confidence in her voice made Kuki somewhat envious and slightly intimidated because she wished she could be that relaxed about things herself.

"Ehm" she stuttered, cursing inwardly at how lame she must seem to the dark girl at this moment. "I just... How to phrase it? I found this picture the other day, of me when I was like ten. And... Well... Four other kids were in it with me, and apparently I wrote their names on the back of the photo. It's a habit I have" she quickly added when she saw Abigail raise her eyebrow in wonder.

"Anyways. I read the names on the back of this photo and it seems that you are one of the four other kids in it, so I guess... I guess I just wanted to know if maybe you remember ever having been friends with me?"

Kuki held her breath and looked timidly at Abigail. She must have sounded so stupid, and Abigail looked like she was trying her hardest not to toss out accusations of Kuki being a lonely lunatic, just trying to make quick friends.

"Ehm" Abigail started, unsure what to say to this girl in front of her. She looked almost ready to cry. "I'm sorry... Abby don't really recall ever having met you... You sure you ain't got me confused with someone else?"

Kuki's short moment of hope quickly evaporated and she hung her head low. She knew it. Of course this girl wouldn't really believe it. Kuki wasn't even sure if she actually believed it herself, but she knew she had some proof, and if the younger her who had written the names, had mistaken the kids for someone else, then she'd probably end up crying on the spot.

"This is you, right?" she asked, showing the picture to Abigail, pointing at the dark ten-year-old girl in the photo, who supposedly was this girl in front of her right now.

Abby looked at the picture baffled, with her breath catching in her throat for the briefest second, her eyes almost popping out of her head.

How could she be in this picture? When was this taken? Had the Oriental I front of her used time trying to find these kids and edit them into this?  
No. They were there. Their shadows were cast the same and matched up on the grass behind them, and onto the persons next to them.

"How?" for a moment everything seemed to shatter within Abby's mind. She didn't know these people! This didn't make any sense. "I don't remember this" she said quietly to herself, but still loud enough for Kuki – or whatever her name was – to hear it.

"Neither do I" Kuki said calmly, yet there was a hint of sadness hidden somewhere deep in her petite high-pitched voice. "Is it you though?"

"Yeah" Abby answered breathlessly "Yeah, that's Abby..."

* * *

"Pfff! Hahahaha! You're kidding me right?" a tear of laughter rolled down his cheek. His extended arm held onto one corner of the picture Kuki had shown him.

He had lost some ten kilos since childhood, and dropped the aviator cap, but he still wore the goggles on top of his brown-haired head. His eyes had turned out to be deep blue. He wire kneww length dark brown khaki short and an ordinary blue T-shirt. In all honesty his clothing style looked much the same as in the photography.

"I mean I can imagine me maybe having been friends with you at a younger life, but Beetles? Hahaha! Beetles isn't even friends with himself man!" he wiped the tears away then looked at the girls, his smile slowly disappearing and seriousness settling into his eyes. "I'm willing to believe you, and maybe build up this friendship I don't even remember about, but I'm telling you now. Especially you Kuki, since it was you who found a photo and initiated contact.

Don't waste your time on bullies like Beetles. You'll end up getting hurt"

That was what he'd said, and Kuki felt how her heart sank a bit.

It was bad enough that one of the five had moved to United Kingdom, but now she couldn't even recreate contact with the blond boy either?  
For some reason it seemed so silly to her that it saddened her. She didn't even know the guy. Maybe she had just set her hopes too high about getting all three of them to create a reconnection of something none of them remembered, and now they were already two people short.

Kuki looked down with a little frown, accepting back her picture and looked at her younger self, who hugged the boy with a huge grin.

They must have been really close friends, since she had decided to place herself like that near him. She could have placed herself nearer the other girl, but for some reason she was near him.

She couldn't help but wonder how Wally had turned from someone who looked like her best friend, to some bully.

Surely, even the younger Kuki wouldn't hang around with bully types?  
And to be honest Abby and Hoagie didn't seem like people who would hang around bullies either, they seemed to smart for it.

* * *

_**Ja ja, I try 8D  
And now I'll continue my exam project. Have to calculate some metabolic weight for Zebra, so I can figure out how much to feed them, and read about anaerobe fermentation 8B  
See you around ^^  
Criticism and/or advices on improvement(s), is/are still appreciated ;D  
~*~TippierCoffee~*~**_


	4. Wally

_**Author: TippierCoffee**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own "Codename: Kids Next Door", or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Tom Warburton**_

_**Enjoy :)**_

* * *

Wally

He rested his hands back onto the moist chilled ground, leaning back a little as he stared at the never ending sea of stars above him. He had really done it this time.

He spat on the ground next to him thinking about how dumb it was that he had craved to be so close with people from higher classes. Why had he insisted on people more or less being intimidated by him? Because he was 'shorter than average'? What a joke!

He could be at the top of the world if he wanted to, he was smarter than this. And his heart held a kindness that definitely conflicted with this misunderstanding he had created around hi whole persona, and he was getting tired of listening to the accusations by now.

School had become a hell ever since he's had a fit and jumped another guy, ending up in a five days suspension from the school. He wouldn't deny that his temper was quite short, at least never to himself anyways. He knew exactly what and who he was, and those conflicts he had somehow managed to create around himself, made people view him as a bully, a thug.

Tough guy, maybe. Nothing wrong in protecting one self. But he wasn't a thug, and not really a bully. He just had a habit of sometimes joking in a wring way and calling math geniuses for nerds.

Stereotypes really owned him by now, and today he'd had a loud argument with a teacher about something she was actually wrong about, but of course because it was him she got him suspended for three days.  
Wally cursed a little inwardly, dissatisfied, but still standing his ground. If someone like that Hoagie guy – or one of the other 'smart kids – had argued back, they would never had gotten a suspension, and he had really tried to tell his mother that; he really had. Not much of a surprise that she had stopped listening to him. And to top it off he could now merrily sleep outside in their little garden for the night.

"Stupid punishment" he muttered to himself, adjusting the groundsheet he was sitting upon. He had yet t crawl down into the sleeping bag his mother had given to him.

He hated how she had started to send him out to sleep in the garden as a punishment, especially on nights where the broadcast had told for rain. Only good thing was that they had a small roof right outside of their backdoor. Maybe he should really move in there to sleep?

Wally gave a heavy annoyed sigh before getting up and quickly sliding on his shoes before dragging the ground sheet and his sleeping bag underneath that small roof. If the wind blew in his direction during the night, this roof would not be any help to him.

Sigh... -Maybe I should just forget about this crud and go somewhere- he though to himself, standing up only a matter of milliseconds after finishing the though, and then he went.

Where he didn't really know, but it didn't matter much. Not like his parents would notice or care anyways, they were too busy praising their angel child Joey.

Wally didn't hate his nine year younger brother at all, he just hated how he got favored and he himself got forgotten somewhere between the lines.

Oh Joey had just started in school! Oh Joey couldn't help it if he messed up, he was only six-years-old! Oh Joey! Oh Joey! Joey everywhere, and Wally couldn't even hate him for it.

Before he knew of it he had reached the park not too far from his house, and was now strolling along the graveled path with his hands showed into the pockets of his loose denim jeans. He found himself a bench and sat on it pulling his hoodie closer into him. He didn't really need to though, it was still pretty warm even in the end of August, but traces of September's chilled start had come to show in the temperature these past few days.

Wally let out half a grunt, half a snicker as he though about how he must look by now. Practically fifteen and a half, and already 'homeless'. He gave a heavy sigh leaning back on the bench, then laying himself on it. Maybe he should just sleep here for the night, since it wouldn't matter much anyways.

* * *

_Wednesday_

Kuki, Abby and Hoagie sat on a table in the cafeteria laughing joyfully together as hey ate their lunch. It was second day in a row they sat on this table together, finding out what they had in common and what they had in differences. Hoagie had just made the fatal 'mistake' of telling them about captain Yipper and how he still collected the comics and cards. How he had been doing ever since they first came out, and how he traded some of his cards he had more than one of, for rare ones.

Kuki couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him seeing as he poured out the honesty to them to build up a friendship, but she had laughed non the less, and soon it was her turn to confess her childish fandom that had kind of stuck with her.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny" Hoagie grumbled "So what? As if you don't have a childhood hobby, I bet Kuki does" he crossed his arms over his chest with a pout upon his lips and an offended look in his eyes.

"Actually" Kuki admitted, knowing she would have been asked anyways "I used to collect rainbow monkeys as a child, and the other day was cleaning my room because they filled sooo much of my space. But I couldn't get myself to toss them out, so I just hid them away.

That's how I found that picture the other day."

"And how many do you have of those hmmm?" Hoagie asked, making sure to sound as offended as possible.

"Hmm... I think... Around two hundred and fifty or so..."

Silence.

Kuki could feel her stomach turn in what seemed to be anticipation, but she knew it was nervousness. She didn't want them judging her too much from this.

Laughing she was fine with, but judging? No way.

"Wow..." Hoagie said, after too long

"You sure love them plushies" Abby said, sipping her juice. The only thing she would ever actually buy from the cafeteria. "Abby used to like them a little as a child too. I only think I've got two though. That My-first one and then... Some other I think I might have gotten from a friend when was sick. Get-well-soon rainbow monkey. Something like that. But two hundred and fifty? Damn girl" she chuckled along with Hoagie and Kuki send them a nervous smile.

However it was quickly replaced by a frown when she saw someone coming in the cafeteria entrance. He looked beat, and tired. His lower lip had dried blood on it somewhere in the corner, and his cheek looked a little red. His head hang, making his thin bowl cut of blond locks cover up his eyes.

"Oh great" Hoagie grumbled lowly "Seems like Beetles decided to show up today"

Kuki watched him cross his arms in a little huff as he leaned back in his chair, then she diverted her eyes to the teen who had been catching a lot of attention, simply by walking in and going up to the cafeteria desk, just to pay for some food.

Wally tried his best to shut out the whispers going on around him, not that he could hear the exact words being said, but before he had walked in people had been talking merrily, why couldn't they just do that and ignore him? Was he really that cruddy interesting?

He looked scanned the room beneath golden locks, until he found an empty table where he settled down, and started eating; relieved that people started minding their own business again.

Kuki watched him as he hungrily shoveled food into his mouth, even though his face twisted in disgust for every bite, he still consumed it with great gluttony, as though he hadn't been eating for a day or two. Kuki lowered her head a little sad, and looked at her bag pack on the ground. She still hadn't taken it the picture and put it back home for some reason, it felt important that she kept it with her right now. She took one quick deep inhale, fished out her picture, then she firmly got up.

"I'm gonna confront him" she said to Abby and Hoagie, a determined look in her face.

It was no use for her to just be scared of the blond because she blindly listened to Hoagie, she had to see some proof of her own. If younger Kuki had been able to get a long with him, why shouldn't she be able to get a long with him five and a half years later?

"Are you crazy?" Hoagie hissed at her, eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"Yeah. Even Abby heard he's bad news girl"

"I don't care what you heard, or what you think, I need to know for myself. I can't just trust what everybody else says. It could be rumors or misinterpretation."

She didn't care to listen to more of Hoagie's or Abby's protests before she moved to the blond still consuming his food, with steady steps, grasping onto the picture firmly.

When she reached his table he stopped his eating for a bit, but didn't look ta her, then he decided to ignore her all together. Kuki took a deep inhale, ignoring the eyes in her back. Was he really such a horrible person?

"A-Ano" she stuttered, cursing a bit at her habit, of swapping to her mother tongue when she got nervous. "Wallabee Beetles?"

He kept on eating completely ignoring her, not socializing with his full name. She took yet another deep inhale and tried again.

"Wally?" respond. He looked up and her chewing with an annoyed look in his eyes, which had turned out to be hypnotizing emerald green orbs, pinning her to her spot, and stealing her breath for a moment.

But he didn't speak a word to her, he just stared at her with a cynic look in his eyes, as though she was dumb or something.

Wally looked at the girl in front of him. Did he know her? He wasn't even sure what she wanted with him, so he just stared at her.

"Th-this is you, right?" she stuttered, presenting a picture to him.

He slowly tore his eyes away from her warm autumn colored ones, they had caught him, but that admission didn't seem to settle right with him. She was just another dumb cruddy girl looking to be with a 'bad boy'; which he wasn't! When his eyes fell on her picture however, they nearly fell out of his head in surprise, and he had to fight his jaw to drop.

When had this been taken? How was it possible for him to be in this? The only person he seemed to recognize in this picture – beside her because she was now in front of him – was Hoagie the dork, who looked even dorkier in this. For a moment he felt like yelling at her, accusing her of stealing a childhood picture of his and popping it in there in photoshop, the only problem with that was just that it seemed real. The Oriental girl with raven hair and warm autumn eyes in front of him, was in this picture wrapping her arms around him from behind with a goofy grin on her face, and a much too large green sweater. She did look cute, but if he spoke to her about how younger-her looked, he'd probably end up saying '_You look dumb_' or something like that.

"Yeah. That's me, what of it?" his eyes still held annoyance in them, and he went back to eating again, as if he didn't care what's so ever about this whole thing. Deep down he was curious, but right now he was honestly too tired to do anything about it.

"My Name is Kuki. Kuki Sanban" she presented a hand to him, which he just looked at for a matter of seconds before ignoring it completely.

"Good for you" he muffled with his mouth full.

"Ehm..." she stared at him doubtfully, a little disgusted at how rude he was. "I just... In this picture it seems we're really good friends" a sigh escaped his lips, but she had decided she wouldn't let it dishearten her "And I though. Maybe we should try being friends again?"

This had sounded really really dumb, no doubt about it. She held her breath waiting for a response, but what she got she hadn't hoped for. The blond boy got up from his seat, not too quick, yet not to slow, but completely quietly. The he went to her, standing as tall as she was, but seeming much more intimidating than she would ever have guessed. He then took the picture in his hands carefully without her really fighting it, because she though he just wanted a closer look, of course she was wrong.

"You wanna know what I think of your picture?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with annoyance and seemingly also hatred.

He tossed the picture to the ground in the blink of an eye and stomped on the already broken glass of the frame, shattering it completely and crumbling the picture a bit.

"Good bye" and with that he left the scene, his tray still three quarter full of food, and Kuki looking at her broken picture frame with tears in her eyes.

This guy was the worst!

* * *

_**Don't worry, Wally isn't mean, he's just in a bad mood. And poor Kuki will get revenge in next chapter, so look forward ^^**_

_**PS: I just got and A on my exam today! x3  
Will be writing one more chapter of this, upload one chapter of "Alone" and see if I can finish first chapter of "Decisions" during today/tomorrow (October 11/october 12, 2012)**_

_**Impatiently waiting for my request - making the category "House of Comarré" in the Books section - to pop up on here, so I can upload my fanfiction "Roots" for that one as well**_

_**Criticism and/or advices on improvement(s) is/are highly appreciated ;D**_

_**~*~TippierCoffee~*~**_


	5. You owe me

_**Author: TippierCoffee**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own "Codename: Kids Next Door", or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Tom Warburton**_

_**Note: I am so sorry I haven't been updating anything for a long time, my mind is swirling and I am a bit worried for my future, but my boyfriend just found something to help me out, which brightened my mood a little.  
I'll try to see if I can update some more, but my first priority at the moment is trying to find a job.**_

_**Enjoy :)**_

* * *

You owe me

_Thursday_

She couldn't believe it. Not one bit.

After that incident between her and Wally yesterday she had gone back to Abby and Hoage with tears in her eyes, and a frown upon her lips. Abby had put a comforting hand on her back trying to comfort her, while Hoagie had partly 'scolded' her, partly admired her courage to go up to the tempered blonde.

Kuki found herself not focusing too much on what he was saying to her. She had closed him out after he had said "Told you so" in a somewhat annoyed voice, but she knew she had only herself to blame for whatever had happened.

She remembered trying to sooth her picture from being crumbled, feeling her stomach turn in anger. No, fury, as tears welled up in her eyes.  
She remembered trying her best to not let them fall down to her cheeks, she was not going to let this defeat her.

Still when she came home, still working on soothing the picture her anger had grown stronger and stronger, and in her anger she roamed her room for the receipt of her picture frame and put it in the pocket of her slim-fit three-quartered light gray denim jeans, which she had put onto her stool for wearing today.

She had hardly noticed the school day pass by, all she had noticed was how she'd have to bite her tongue and try her best to calm down, especially since rumors seemed to have traveled that she had approached Beetles.

How come he was so infamous? What had he ever done to deserve the entire school being frightful of him?  
Well besides being a total meanie?

She was tired of her female classmates asking her about it, tired of her male classmates padding her back, tired of hearing his name in general, especially now when anger rose n her chest at the mere mentioning of his name alone.

But she knew what she had to do, she had planned it out and build up all of her anger and courage to do this.  
Well not courage actually, she wasn't scared of the hot tempered blonde, but she was furious with him, and if he wasn't present in school today she'd pound Hoagie if necessary to get his address.

The bell rang for lunch and Kuki knew this was her chance, before anybody else got to comment anymore on what had gone down yesterday, she dashed off to class C and stood there outside the door, fire burning in her eyes. She watched impatiently as people strolled out the class, and hushed Hoagie's greeting with a poisonous look when he exited. She noticed how his expression got filled with confusion and hurt as he went along on his own way.

Kuki only just got to catch a glimpse of him meeting up with Abby and saying something to her before they headed off to the cafeteria together.

The classroom soon emptied out of people but still no sign of him, and before she knew of it she started taping her foot impatiently against the ground. Her taps echoed strangely in the busy hallway and her anger grew stronger with her impatience. She was about to give up and move to the cafeteria to ask Hoagie about Wally's address when he finally showed in the door, seeming much less beat than yesterday.

"Hey!" she called out, anger coating her voice, making it sound more like a roar than that fragile voice people were so used to hearing from her.

Wally spun and looked at her, and for a moment she yet again seemed to lose her breath as his emerald green eyes locked with hers.

"What?" he asked, his voice much less annoyed than yesterday.

"Eight dollars and six cents" she said, controlling her voice the best she could, ang anger still coating her eyes making it look like they were on fire.

"Excuse me?" his expression almost made her laugh. Almost.

"Eight dollars and six cents. That's what you owe me for my picture frame"

Wally looked at the girl in front of him, eye to eye, equal in height. She seemed fearless right now. Fearless and very pissed. He hated admitting this to himself, but se actually made him feel a bit uneasy right now.

"Oh yeah?!" he said, toughing up and trying to put her in her 'proper' place. "Since when?"  
"Yesterday!" she shoved her receipt in his face, taking a step closer.

"And who says I'm gonna pay ya', ya cruddy sheila?"

"I am!"

Before Kuki could stop herself or even get a chance to figure out what she was doing, she grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and send hims straight into the lockers on the opposite side of the door he had come out of.

As he was sent into the lockers they gave out a loud metal slam accompanied by an "Oomph!" form the boy.

He felt himself swallowing hard as he scared at this girl standing a bit on her toes, her nose almost touching his, her eyes burning with anger. In fact they seemed to almost hold a certain hatred for him. He stared back at her, feeling how he secretly trembled under the girl's venomous stares.

Wally honestly couldn't remember the last time he had been this frightened of a person before, and even though she was petite, she was definitely scary when angered.

"You have until tomorrow to pay me back" she spat at him, shoving the receipt in his hand.

Then she gave him one last shove into the locker before turning on her heel and stomping down the hallway, leaving him behind, dumbfounded.

* * *

_**Yup, Kuki definitely got Wally back from what he did to her picture frame in the previous chapter :)  
And what did we all learn from this? Do not anger miss Kuki Sanban. No sir, no xP**_

_**Feels nice writing some again, and it definitely helped to write with Kids Next Door episodes in the background :)**_

_**Hope you liked this. As always criticism and/or advices on improvement is/are always welcome :3**_

_**~*~TippierCoffee~*~**_


	6. One step

_**Author: TippierCoffee**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own "Codename: Kids Next door", or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Tom Warburton.**_

_**Sorry for the very late updating, I hope you can learn to live with me being a bit all over the place.**_

_**Enjoy :)**_

* * *

One step

_Friday_

He still had the receipt, though honestly he didn't know why he bothered t keep it. It wasn't like his life depended on it. She was just a girl.

A girl with perfect straight raven hair, and autumn eyes burning with anger. A girl with a strength which seemed impossible for hr to hold. Would he really give her the money though?

If he gave her the money people might think he was weak, could be broken, could be stomped on by small insignificant girls. On the other hand; maybe it could help him set his records straight and gain positive views about himself.

He was so tired of the turning heads, the low whispers, and the rumors going around he had once killed someone. He hadn't. He had broken someone's jaw after they had talked ill about his family, and suddenly the guy had turned the story into Wally attacking him unprovoked, and almost killing him. Then it had turned to him actually dying and having to be revived. All that for attention, and people believed it because sure, it was Beetle's character to beat people to a pulp. It was in Beetle's character to be mean and tread on others. It was in Beetle's nature to do this, it was in Beetle's nature to do that. Bla, bla, bla.

Wally sighed heavily and rested his head against his window as he stared down at the receipt, and the matching money next to it. He should not pay her back, she could just have stayed out of his business. Left him alone.

Why had she showed him that picture? How had she planted herself so vividly in his mind's inner eye? Why did he feel a longing to be that boy in the picture?

He wanted to be that guy who could be friends with girls without being called weak, or the guy who could get along with Hoagie without being called 'Protector of the geeks'. Without Hoagie being called his little pet.

How did Wally always land himself in these dead-end situations? He hadn't done anything wrong. He had only protected himself, and now it seemed an image as tough-guy had sprouted with it.

Even tough guys had friends, even tough guys could be smart and not want to steal, or smoke, or do weed, or drugs.

Why did he seem so fragile, when he tried so hard to be strong?

Maybe that was his problem. Maybe he was trying too hard to be strong, and by doing so he had ended up where he was now, owing an east-Asian girl eight dollars and six cents for a stupid picture frame, and he didn't even remember her name. How did she know his to start with?

Silent knocking came form his door, and it opened carefully to reveal his mother's head.

"Breakfast" she said, her voice softer than he remembered it. When had he slipped so far away?

"Mom?" he turned to face her, emerald meeting blue.

"Mmm?"

"Did I use to have a female friend with long black hair when I was around ten?"

"You had two female friends with long black hair when you were around ten." she opened the door a little further and smiled at him.

"Did one of them look east-Asian. You know, Chinese? Or Japanese maybe?"

"Japanese?" his mother chew at the inside of her cheek for a moment before she lightened up "Ah you mean Kuki Sanban? Funny, I thought the two of you had lost contact. Your father and her mother works for the same company, though she is a bit higher in the food chain than your Dad, but he told me they had talked about it, and had wondered where your friendship had gone wrong. You seemed quite found of each other." she giggled shortly "Of course Mr. Sanban is pretty traditional, and while Mrs. Sanban is too, she is aware they live here in the west now, so they can't expect their daughter to find a Japanese. I think they both would prefer if she did though, and I'm not sure that settled well with either of you.

I just know Mr. Sanban still might not like you all that much, but he seems to be more calm now that you lost contact. I think he was a little worried the two of you would fall in love.

It's fun you should mention it now though, because I was just thinking, I mean your father had just talked with Mrs. Sanban-"

"Thanks mom" Wally interrupted her. He knew if he let her continue much longer, she would go on for an eternity and make him late, not that he wasn't already. "That's all I wanted to know"

He grabbed the money on his table, and stuffed them into his right front pocket, and then his phone went into the left front pocket.

"Bye mom" he kissed her cheek "We should talk some more" and then he went down the stairs, grabbed a muffin, and went on his way to the bus.

Maybe he could spare himself from the embarrassment by slipping Kuki her money in the bus.

* * *

This was definitely a dumb idea. He had been standing next to class A's door for almost two minutes now, just absently leaning against the wall out of sight from the few people who were still in class. He wasn't even sure she would be there, because if she still hang with Hoagie and the black girl she'd probably be in the cafeteria.

He clasped his hand around the money, feeling the smoothness of the notes and the coldness of the coins. He just needed to go in, hand her the money, and go out. He wouldn't even need to talk, so why did he have an urge to say something to her? And what would he way anyways?

'Sorry I trashed your photo, but maybe we should be friends any ways. By the way, I heard we may have been in love, isn't that funny?' Stupid is what it was.

He sighed heavily, feeling air escape every part of his body as he took the first step. He wouldn't look less stupid just standing here, then rather just get in and face his defeat. He would handle the consequences of being called weak on Monday. He had been broken by a dumb sheila. Pathetic!

He peeked inside the classroom carefully and saw her there with two females, by no doubt her friends.

-_Great!_- he though as he inhaled, exhaled, and then gathered his courage before walking up to her.

This would be one of his greatest defeats to date, and it wasn't even a fight, it was just handing some girl the money he owed her. He came closer and closer, and one of the girl's caught his eyes, and stiffened. It didn't look like she'd say anything to Kuki, or give him away, her entire body just tensed and then stiffened, while she gave a fake laugh to her two friends.

"Ahem" Wally cleared his throat and observed as the other of Kuki's friend joined in stiffening up. Honestly.

Kuki turned in her chair, her warm eyes already looked annoyed and she had a frown on her lips. She held his gaze her eyes locked to his, and for a moment he just stood there unable to do anything else. He was tensing, and he kept tightening and loosening his hands. Why was he this nervous?

"I-" he started, but the words seemed so dumb already now. Idiotic.

She kept staring at him, not faltering one bit. Her lips straight, her eyes sharp, her body turned. Didn't her back hurt like that?

"I just..." he fiddled in his right pocket. -_Just get it over with_- "Ijustcametosaysorry" he blurted out taking her hand with his left, and forcing his money into his palm.

"Huh?" she looked at the money, then back at him. Was that amusement that had snuck into her eyes?

"I said" he manned up "I just came. To say. Sorry. I was rude, and wrong, and I am sorry" his body tensed.

He was _not_ used to this. Then she smiled and her eyes softened, as her pink lips pulled up and painted her cheeks a faltering rose color. She was pretty.

"Thank you" she almost sighed in relief "I thought you wouldn't do it."

"Yeah. Well. I did. If you don't like it you can hand 'em back" he'd already started losing his temper.

Maybe that was why he ended here all the time, because of his much too short temper. He needed to work on that.

"I was wondering" he scratched his neck nervously "If that offer from yesterday still counts."

"Sure it does, why?" such an innocent smile. He would break her if he got too close.

"I want in"

Her smile grew as his stomach tightened even further. This could only end horribly.

* * *

_**Holy crap! I'm finally writing fanfiction again, and I'm loving it! Not that I didn't already.**_

_**I am so, so sorry for all the time you have waited for this to be updated, and I honestly don't know about the amount of time which will pass before next chapter, but I will see what I can do and try my best.**_

_**Please support me by liking my facebook page, following my tumblr blog, or just checking out my website – or movellas. It would mean the world to me (links can be found in the top of my author info)**_

_**As always: crits and/or advices on improvement(s) is/are always welcome and appreciated :)**_

_**~*~TippierCoffee~*~**_


	7. Doubt

**Author: TippierCoffee**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Codename: Kids Next door", or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Tom Warburton.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Doubt_._

_Saturday – 1pm._

The grass was playing in the wind, serene and fresh. It smelled fresh, a few droplets from last night's rain tingling n the sun's beams.

Wally could feel hair being tugged softly by the fresh breeze as he clutched on a little tighter to the small paper Kuki had given him the day before. Hoagie's address. Apparently they were all meeting up there, though he doubted they knew she had invited him over.

If they did, he'd imagine Hoagie moaning in protest about now, not that he would blame the guy. He hadn't exactly been kind to the techwiz, or whatever people called Hoagie these days.

Already he could hear his thoughts swirling around in his head, trying to pick out what would be best to say once he got there. Already it wounded dumb. _Hello, I know I've been a douche to you, just thought I'd befriend you._ Yeah right!

He wasn't even sure what they were supposed to be doing. Would they just be talking like he had seen them doing at the lunch table the other day? If that was the case, he'd mess it all up quicker than he'd open his mouth.

* * *

Abby's laughter send an echo through the spacy backyard. She held her stomach which was twisting in some sort of pain, cause by her amusement.

"Really Hoagie?" disbelief coated her voice, as she wiped away a few tears from her auburn eyes.

"Why's that so funny?" he asked, seemingly offended and hurt, arms crossed over his chest.

"Tree houses are for children, aren't they? What do you suppose we do in there, play spin the bottle?" Her words made his head burn up in a bright red colour, you could almost see fumes leaving his ears. Even Kuki couldn't hold a snigger from that look.

"You'll be surprised what you can do with technology if you wire it correctly, and you just happen to know someone who can do that." He pointed a finger to himself, his mouth puckered and turning downwards, his eyebrows furrowing downwards and his nostrils flaring slowly, and almost invisibly. He was definitely displeased with Abby.

"Cool" She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "But why would you suggest building a tree house in the first place?"

Kuki hated to admit this to herself, but she was actually rather curious about this too. It had been such a weird thing for her, when Hoagie took them to the backyard and randomly suggested they built a tree house together. It had sounded really weird to be honest.

"Well..." Hoagie stared to the sky fr a while, as if searching for something. He was chewing his lip a bit before looking to the two girls again. Abby in front of him, one hip shot out and arms crossed. Kuki sitting on a chair close to the, hands on her knees and eyes on Hoagie. "I was talking to my Mum the other day, and she said apparently we used to play tree house a lot. We practically lived there apparently, only because it was in the back yard of a kid, parents nearby to keep an eye on us."

"I like the idea" Kuki smiled. She knew they might not believe her, but it was the perfect escape from home. Some time to breathe between all those expectations her parents had; untold non the less, but they were there. It was easy to pick up on it when they were in the same room, almost as if she could read their aura or something.

"What idea?" The three of them looked up simultaneously, each with a shocked expression on their face – though Kuki soon set her lips to a small smile. Blond hair, green eyes and a worn orange hoodie.

"What is he doing here?" Dissatisfaction coated Hoagie's voice, like a veil of venom. His body immediately tensed and he looked ready to defend himself – at least verbally.

"I invited him." Kuki chirped bouncing to her feet, her smile reaching from ear to ear.

"What?!" Hoagie's voice cracked while his hands flew to the air and stopped midway. "Why did you do that?!"

"I just-"

"Hey." Wally's voice broke through again, which caused Hoagie to look at him, his lips puckered in disbelief. "I can leave again if it's a problem mate. Just thought I'd... I dunno... Cruddy apologize to you... Or something..."

"Apologize" Hoagie stared down Wally, his eyes flickering with lightning. "That's rich! You've done nothing but degrade me! I have no idea why Kuki even bothered inviting you?!"

"Because I believe in second chances." Kuki sobbed, making Hoagie snap his head. His eyes were brimming with moist, his fists knitted and his nostrils flaring. Whatever problems he and Wally had, maybe they could work it out? Though, I seemed Hoagie would flat out ignore anything Wally had to stay to him.

"You know what?" Wally groaned, tossing his arms to the air while rolling his eyes. "I'll just go back home and forget this crud!"

"Hold the phone!" This time it was Abby's turn to cut through. She moved in between the two guys and turned to face Wally. They were about the same height, but still she managed to stare him down with a harsh look. "I don't really trust you, you know. BUT!" she had stopped him from arguing with her. "I hear you're quite strong, so maybe you can help us a bit with this project as a trial kind of thing? If you're interested about this, that is?"

"I am. Was. Am" Wally ruffled his hair in frustration, an angry groan tearing his throat. "I don't cruddy know any more!"

"I think we could use your help though." Abby said, eyeing Hoagie with a strict look to make sure he' keep his mouth shot. "It could probably prove effective in our project. We could finish it sooner."

"What do I get in return?" Wally's turn to cross his arms and raise a brow.

"In return we'll see if we think you deserve a chance, like Kuki think you do." Silence entered for a moment, minds ticking in thought until Wally broke it.

"To hell with it." he muttered before speaking up. "I guess I'm fine with that."

"I'm not." Hoagie grumbled.

"Tough luck." Abby glared at him. Her voice stern, her gaze even more so. "We can use his help, and you know it. Even though I ave my doubts also, the friend who brought us back together thinks he deserves a chance, so let's give him one."

Kuki sat in her chair finding it hard to breath. He could feel tears prickle in her eyes, affecting her vision and making everything slurry. For a moment she was sure her heart had been replaced by a stone, sinking lower still, making her chest ache. As if it was sucking itself into some black hole, which had somehow been created within her. It would be a lot nicer if they could all get along, rather than all this quarrelling.

She had gotten the impression it might be a bit hard getting Wally into their little circle, but she had never imagined it would be _this_ difficult. Maybe there _was_ something to the rumours about Wally's 'cruel' nature after all?

* * *

**Hey. This happened and I'm happy :)**

**doing better with details these days, hopefully the dialogue wasn't too tiring, it just kind of took off. Hopefully they can get along better at some point?**

**I like seeing the flaws in this, it means I'll pay extra attention to it next time I'm writing.**

**As always I welcome criticism and/or advices on improvement(s) with open arms :)**

**~*~TippierCoffee~*~**

**PS. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, because I'm working on an original novel-length story at the moment, but I'll try my best to fit this in too :)**

**PPS. Just read this through and I have one thing to say: TYPOS! So. Many. Typos *twitch twitch*  
I am so sorry, may the Muse of words forgive me [ISwearI'llEditThisOneDaySoon] ;^;**


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